The Accelerated Route to Membership (ARM) is a fast-track programme designed to qualify professionals for CIArb Member status in a concentrated format. ARM is ideal for practitioners who already have substantial knowledge of international arbitration (e.g. from working as party counsel or tribunal members) and want to assess their knowledge. Rather than teaching from scratch, the course assesses and tests candidates’ existing skills and knowledge against CIArb’s benchmarks. Successful participants complete Module 1-level outcomes in a compressed timeframe, accelerating their progress toward membership.
By the end of the ARM programme, candidates will be able to:
Explain core arbitration principles and requirements, including arbitrability limits, the nature of arbitrator appointments, party rights/duties, tribunal powers, and the role of national courts.
Navigate the arbitration process from A to Z: drafting arbitral clauses, starting proceedings, organizing hearings and documents, and ensuring enforceable awards.
Apply key arbitration laws (such as the UNCITRAL Model Law and relevant regional arbitration statutes) to practical scenarios.
Analyze and resolve common arbitration issues by identifying and applying procedural rules and good practice.
The ARM assessment has three components:
Type of Assessment: A written assignment to be submitted before the programme.
Marking: Not on a pass or fail basis. The marks achieved shall contribute up to 20% of the final marks.
Type of Assessment: Two-day interactive assessment in a series of workshops. Scenarios will be presented to the candidates in groups for their consideration. Candidates knowledge, judgment and interactive/ self presentation skills are assessed during these workshops.
Marking: The assessment is on a pass or fail basis. Candidates must pass all the workshop sessions. Candidates who fail the workshop will be required to re-sit the assessment.
Type of Assessment: The final exam will be through the LearnADR. The candidates will be given access to the LearnADR only 5 days prior to the date of assessment. The exam paper will become available on the LearnADR for 5 days from the date of assessment. Candidates will have a block of 48 hours in these 5 days to complete the exam paper and submit their answers on the LearnADR itself.
The exam paper shall consist of two parts. Part 1 is a case study exercise with the number of questions that the candidates will be required to answer. Available marks 40%. Part 2 will consist of 5 questions, the candidates are required to select and answer any 3. Available marks 60%.
Marking: Assessment is on a pass or fail basis. Candidates must achieve a minimum of 65%. Candidates who fail the examination will be required to re-sit the examination.
To pass ARM overall, candidates must pass assessment 2 and should achieve minimum 65% combined marks of assessment 1 and assessment 3. Results are released approximately 12 weeks after the exam.
In order to register for the ARM, candidates must submit their CV to demonstrate the following:
They have extensive knowledge of the framework and skills required to conduct an international arbitration.
The contractual nature of the appointment of an Arbitrator, the range and limitations of an Arbitrator’s powers and jurisdiction, the rights, duties and responsibilities of a party to an Arbitration.
The methods of initiating and processing an Arbitration, the relevance of the court regarding all stages in an Arbitration, the requirements of an enforceable Award, evaluate and apply the principles and legal requirements of an International Arbitration.
The CV must be sent to [email protected] with the subject “CV for ARM course”. Should a candidate be successful, they will be contacted regarding registration and payment.
Please note that CV’s are processed in batches and as such, the review process can take upwards of 4 weeks. You will be contacted should you be successful in your application.
In practice, candidates should already be comfortable with Module 1 topics (legal framework, tribunal jurisdiction, procedural stages, enforcement, etc.) before applying. In short, ARM is intended for busy professionals who have learned arbitration on the job and seek a formal qualification.
Tuition Fees: INR 70,000/-
Centralized Examination Fees to be paid to the HQ: 174 GBP
Upon passing the ARM assessments, candidates become eligible to apply for CIArb Member (MCIArb) grade. This immediately grants the Member designation, which would otherwise be obtained through Module 1.
